Indifference: The Reformation of Pope Francis – Part III

As interesting as the Reform of Francis will be, the thing to remember is that they are only a blip on the screen of what the Holy Spirit is doing, and we have to continue to distinguish between reforms of substance (i.e. suppression of the Latin Mass and assignment of like-minded Bishops) versus reforms of style (big tent ecumenism and no red shoes). The reforms of style won’t last past his papacy, but the reforms of substance may.

This ongoing series on the Reformation of Pope Francis began in September of 2013 with a thesis and a prophecy. The thesis was that Pope Francis means to remake the Catholic Church in his image; a feat that no previous Pope has dared to exercise to this extent. The prophecy was that the Papacy and Reformation of Pope Francis will be exercised through three personal ideologies of his that I called ‘windows’; those three being (1) Rejectionism; (2) Indifferentism, and (3) Inclusivism.

For those new to this series, should know that these are not slam pieces. While it is true that I am often vexed by the lack of precision in Pope Francis’ non-magisterial statements that have to do with theology or Church history, I greatly admire him as a pastor of Catholic Church. If God had blessed me with the degree of empathy that Pope Francis seems to have, I’d be a better person.

Nevertheless, I am not ashamed to say that I’ve been correct from the beginning about the Reformation of Pope Francis. I told you exactly what was going to happen and why it was going to happen. I gave you specific details back in 2013 and all I’m doing now for the rest of this series is highlighting examples of the three windows. These are my ‘I told you so’ pieces. In this installment, I’m going to highlight the second window, which concerns his (non-heretical) indifferentism.

Does Pope Francis Tend Towards Indifferentism or Not?

In a recent article by staunch Francis defender Fr. Dwight Longenecker, entitled, ‘Is Proselytism Solemn Nonsense?’ he defends Pope Francis against charges of indifferentism, for his comments about proselytism being solemn nonsense and the worse thing you can do if you want to be happy. Fr. Longenecker’s overall defense was tendering Pope Benedict XVI’s comments against proselytism (as to say that Francis isn’t saying anything that the great theologian of our time didn’t also say), and suggesting that what Pope Francis meant by the word ‘proselytize’ was ‘forced conversion’.

A couple things can be said about Fr. Longenecker’s apologia. The first is that he raises an argument of indifferentism between Francis and Benedict to prove that Francis doesn’t tend towards indifferentism, when it was Pope Francis himself who, since at least 2013, has repeated (sometimes paraphrasing) a 2007 Easter Sunday statement from Pope Benedict XVI at the Shrine of Aparecida in which he said:

“The Church does not engage in proselytism. Instead, she grows by “attraction”: just as Christ “draws all to himself” by the power of his love, culminating in the sacrifice of the Cross, so the Church fulfills her mission to the extent that, in union with Christ, she accomplishes every one of her works in spiritual and practical imitation of the love of her Lord.”

While defending Pope Francis against indifferentism by saying that he is not any different from Pope Benedict by using a quote that Francis himself attributes to Benedict is a bit loopy, it is fine to concede to the fact that Pope Francis would rather attract people to the Church, rather than proselytize them into the Church. What we cannot concede to is Fr. Longenecker though is his second argument; that what Pope Francis means by ‘proselytism’ is forcing the faith on people, because all the evidence we have, from his time as Cardinal in Argentina to now, suggests that what the Pope means by ‘proselytism’ is evangelization to non-Catholics.

For Francis, any form of evangelization/preaching/apologetics that is offered directly to non-Catholics with the intent to proclaim to them the wholeness and fullness of the Catholic faith for the purpose of inviting them to consider the validity of our claim against theirs is what he calls ‘proselytism’. The irony is that it is because Catholics in Argentina and elsewhere in South America failed to boldly and loudly proclaim the wholeness and fullness of the Catholic faith is why millions of Catholics there have been lost to the dim-light of Protestantism; even during the watch of Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio.

It may very well be the case that what we have to look forward to from the current Papacy is more of what we got from him in Argentina, which was absolutely no reason why Protestants should become Catholic. That lack of reason had nothing to do with Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio not being a great pastor that reached out to them, but it had everything to do with his affirming them in their beliefs and a lack of evangelizing to them the clear and distinct light of Catholicism.

Indifferentism Towards the Dim-Light of Protestantism

Pope Francis has said more than enough publicly to leave us secure with the fact that he believes in a unified Christian faith. In fact, Paragraphs 244 through 246 of his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium represents a beautiful expression of that eventuality that the Holy Spirit is leading us towards. He has also said more than enough publicly and privately to leave us insecure with the impression that he doesn’t believe that the eventual unity of all Christians will be in the Catholic Church. He has sounded quite indifferent at times, and that indifference has affirmed and validated Protestants in their dim-light.

For example, when a Pope apologizes to Protestants for “obstructing the growth of their communities,” what they actually hear from him is affirmation in their beliefs that run contrary to Catholicism. That’s indifferentism. When Protestants hear reports of the Pope telling someone who they don’t need to physically be in Church, because they are port of God’s family, what Protestants hear is affirmation in their beliefs that run contrary to Catholicism. That’s indifferentism. When his comments resurface from when he was a Cardinal talking about how the Church needs Anglicans and how the Ordinate that Pope Benedict XVI established was unnecessary, what Anglicans hear is affirmation in their beliefs that run contrary to Catholicism. That’s indifferentism. When Protestants hear the Pope say, “I’m not interested in converting Evangelicals to Catholicism. I want people to find Jesus in their own community. There are so many doctrines we will never agree on,” what they ingest from that is that the Pope has affirmed them in their beliefs that run contrary to Catholicism. That’s indifferentism, and it doesn’t stop them from trying to convert Catholics. When Protestants read the Pope’s 10 Secrets to Happiness and see Him say NOTHING about Jesus, Prayer, or the Bible, they are instantly affirmed in the prejudices against Catholics and affirmed in their beliefs that run contrary to Catholicism. That’s indifferentism. When Protestant hear the Pope misspeak and say that priestly celibacy is just a modern innovation, what they actually hear is validation of their false claims against Catholic teaching. That’s indifferentism. When Protestants read that Tony Palmer told his close friend Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio that he wanted to became a Catholic, but Bergoglio told him to remain a Protestant, what they take from that is affirmation in their beliefs that run contrary to Catholicism. That’s indifferentism. After Tony Palmer tragically died a Protestant (intentionally/by the Pope’s advice) and Pope Francis compelled the priests of St. John the Evangelist Church to give his intentional Protestant friend a Catholic funeral rite, the case is closed. Code of Canon Law 1184 §1 is explicitly clear that only faithful Catholics can receive Church funeral rites. We’re talking about indifferentism!

This list goes on and on. The point here is not to be exhaustive, but, rather, to merely debunk the claim that Pope Francis isn’t indifferent towards the Divine uniqueness of Catholicism. Now, that doesn’t make him bad, or a heretic, or evil, or a reason for someone to become a Sedevacantist. It only means what I said about Pope Francis from the beginning. That due to his life experience, he has come to have a slight disdain for the old-fashioned recipe he saw being cooked in the Vatican decade after decade after decade. He believes that the Church has been too exclusive for far too long and he wants to tear down lots of pillars that kept many things in place for a very long time. His tearing down and rebuilding the temple goes far beyond just the Roman Curia! Pope Francis is man who is completely dominated by his personal life experience and thinks we would all be better off living according to his worldview.

Conclusion

Like Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis also has come to love a number of Protestants and people of other religions. His love for them as human persons has weakened his concern for the lies that they believe. Now, don’t go off and judge him for that. Almost all of us have people who we love that we fail to give the hard medicine to. Pope Francis is just like the rest of us – weak and suspect to disordered love; that is, love that doesn’t always tell the truth to those who we claim to love – those who we claim to desire the best for.

As interesting as the reforms of Francis will be, the thing to remember is that they are only a blip on the screen of what the Holy Spirit is doing, and we have to continue to distinguish between reforms of substance (i.e. suppression of the Latin Mass and assignment of like-minded Bishops) versus reforms of style (big tent ecumenism and no red shoes). The reforms of style won’t last past his papacy, but the reforms of substance may.

_____________________________________________ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES ON THE REFORMATION OF POPE FRANCIS:

I am a firm believer in Catholicism .The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives a roadmsp for all. If the basic things like preaching the gospel is dumped as not necessary, if we apologize to protestants for denouncing their anti catholic ideology, I feel many Catholics will say “good bye” or keep silence and become a sort of agnostics. The Pope should not kill His Church built by Jesus Christ.

AugustineThomas

Why doesn’t anyone ask Mr. Jorge how “solemn nonsense” worked so well for the martyrs and saints converting large swaths of humanity? Why has the Church been emptied since he and other leaders who espouse leftist nonsense have taken control?

rodlarocque1931

The “solemn nonsense” is what made the church increase and grow. It is what has given him his ‘bully pulpit’ from which to discourage traditional Catholics.

ProdiGaldaughter

This pontificate is scary. What will the pope do or say next? With Pope Benedict you knew he would stand up for Catholic teaching always. Not with the present pope. He sows confusion and seems to make a mockery of missionary efforts and calls some of the most faithful Catholic all sorts of names. He even calls priests various ugly names. I do not trust him. He can kiss all the babies and feet of pagans and all the rest but is he bringing souls to Christ?

Mike Gannome

The errors, attitude, confusion and misleading he is doing to many people will endure long after his pontificate. He will also appoint like-minded bishops and cardinals whose years of influence will not be a blip on the radar.

This is true. Appointing Bishops like himself places his face on the Church for quite awhile. The only solace is that many of these Bishops seem to take on the character of the Pope. Remember when Dolan was more conservative during the pontificate of Benedict? Now he is a loose goose.

D. Morgan

We were warned. The errors of Russia will spread over the world. Well whether you want to call it Marxism, or progressivism, the errors are successfully infecting all areas of the Church and the world.

CMH

Whenever I see the word,indifference, I can’t help but to say the prayer, of the Angel of Peace to the little Fatima children. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world,in reparation for the outrages,sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners. Amen. Our Catholic Church is possessed by the Spirit of Indifference I hate to tell you. We have got to pray the Rosary! Pray. Pray, Pray! Let’s exorcise that Spirit of Indifference!!!

Brian Kelly

Thank you David Gray. You are clear and your points ring clear — not a false tone. Not so Pope Francis. Problem is, and it goes back decades, is that the hierarchs in the Church suppressed the infallible dogma, extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. They were embarrassed by the truth of it in its literal and “irreformable” Catholic sense. This is the worse sin against charity: to give the impression that one can be saved outside the Church. It is a lie. This is the new creed, an insult to the Church of 20 centuries. Father Feeney was not the first victim. The first was Father Michael Mueller, Redemptorist author and mission giver of the latter half of the 19th century. He, too, was silenced for defending the thrice-defined dogma, the dogma that theologian and Biblical scholar Cornelius a Lapide called the “all important dogma.” Other strong Catholic theologians called the “fundamental dogma of Faith” and the “most foundational dogma.”

Brian it never occurred to me that there were those who were ashamed of the truth, and watered down a hard saying to appease them and others. That is an interesting thought!

Midwester

David, you say that Pope Franicis’ indifferentism “doesn’t make him bad, or a heretic, or evil…” Technically, you are right because no one on earth can judge the Pope. However, by promoting such a view, Pope Francis’ actions are clearly at odds with the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church, (Mortalium Animos), and a clear danger to the souls of those both in the flock and those who are not of this flock. His actions are at best imprudent, at worst greviously damaging to the Faith.

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